Beatrice Chebet/ FILE
Athletics Kenya (AK) have confirmed they will use the Prefontaine Classic on July 5 to select the men’s 10,000m and women’s 5,000m teams for the 2025 World Athletics Championships set for September in Tokyo
The meet, a staple of the Wanda Diamond League, will be staged at the iconic Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon—the same venue they held their 10,000m Olympic Trials for Paris 2024.
In a statement, AK announced the move to hold the Kenyan Trials in the US.
" We are happy to announce that we will use this year’s Prefontaine Classic, the Eugene Diamond League meeting, to select the men’s 10,000m and women’s 5000m team to represent the country at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan."
AK hailed the meet’s rich history with Kenyan athletes, pointing to a legacy of record-breaking performances and dominant displays in distance events.
"Kenya has a rich history and connection with this prestigious event, where several of our athletes have, over the years, shone and etched their names in the record books with memorable performances," the statement continued.
Last year, the Pre Classic served as the stage for a seismic moment in women’s distance running.
Double Olympic champion Beatrice Chebet obliterated the women's 10,000m record with a 28:54.14 finish, becoming the first woman in history to break the 29-minute barrier.
She erased Letesenbet Gidey’s mark of 29:01.03 set at the FBK Hengelo meet in 2021. Joining Chebet in the Kenyan trio for Paris were Lilian Kasait (third place - 29:26.89) and Margaret Chelimo (fourth place - 29:27.59), both delivering personal bests in a race that rewrote the all-time lists.
Chebet, the 2022 World 5,000m silver medallist, would then go on to secure double gold at the Paris Olympics in the 5,000m (14:28.56) and 10,000m (30:43.25).
On the men’s side, the 10,000m trials were just as fierce. Daniel Mateiko (26:50.81), Nicholas Kipkorir (26:50.94) and Bernard Kibet (26:51.09) all ran inside 26:52 to book their Paris Olympic berths in what was one of the fastest 25-lap races on US soil.
Kenyan success at the Pre Classic wasn't just from last year. In 2011, Moses Mosop stunned the world by smashing the 25,000m and 30,000m world records, clocking 1:12:25.4 and 1:26:47.4, respectively.
AK say the decision to stage the trials at the Eugene meet is a deliberate strategy to ensure a high-stakes, high-performance environment that will sharpen athletes ahead of Tokyo.
"It is on the backdrop of these outstanding exploits that we are convinced that this year’s national trials for the two disciplines will be equally competitive, thus producing a final team of world-class athletes capable of sweeping the podium in Tokyo."
The federation thanked the Prefontaine organisers for continuing to provide Kenyan athletes with an elite-level stage for global selection.
"AK is grateful to the Organising Committee of The Prefontaine Classic for providing us with this competitive environment and world-class facilities to conduct this exercise."
For the men's 5,000m and women's 10,000m, the team shall be selected during the national trials in July. "Selection of the athletes to represent Kenya in the men’s 5000m and women’s 10,000m will be undertaken during the national Trials for the World Athletics Championships."
